Strong Women in Renaissance Italy

When you think about Renaissance Italy, do the names Sofonisba Anguissola, Isabella d’Este, or Lavinia Fontana come to mind? These women, and many others whose names we may never know—artists, writers, patrons, entrepreneurs, healers, nuns, teachers, and more—influenced their time much more than history has generally recognized.

Through more than 100 works from the 14th to the early 17th century, this exhibition explores the lives and experiences of women in Renaissance Italy and offers new perspectives on female creativity, power, and agency. Learn about Sofonisba Anguissola, who served at the court of King Phillip II of Spain and painted more self-portraits than any other artist in Renaissance Italy. One of her self-portraits shows her holding a large shield-like object inscribed with her signature, declaring she painted it. See Renaissance interpretations of historical figures, like a bronze bust of Cleopatra showing the Egyptian queen as pensive and noble rather than seductive and dangerous—a work likely commissioned by Isabella d’Este, one of Renaissance Italy’s most influential patrons of the arts. Get to know the story of Gracia Nasi, a Jewish woman from a powerful family, through the portrait medal cast to celebrate her marriage.

Women in Renaissance Italy faced challenges and barriers to equity, education, and influence. But they often found ways to work around or overcome the institutional structures of their time. The mix of sculpture, paintings, ceramics, textiles, fashion accessories, illustrated books, and prints in this exhibition reveals the material lives of Renaissance women and tells empowering and inspiring stories that have long gone untold.